Tomorrow(30/6/11) will be the day when a state police ban a government’s functions!

Can you imagine the security force ban its master’s function? This is happening in Penang tomorrow when the state police chief obtain a court order to stop anyone from attending a state government’s function -one on the island and another on the mainland. The tail wagging a dog? In most federal states the police are a local management issue-but in Malaysia the police take order only from the Federal government. Thus it is possible for the Federal government to use the state police against a state government function! But in this sense how can the police be seen as serving the public’s interests?

Penang police warn against attending ‘illegal’ state ceramah

By Debra Chong

June 29, 2011

GEORGE TOWN, June 29 — Penang police chief Datuk Ayub Yaakob warned the public today not to attend the state Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government’s twin events on the island and in Seberang Jaya tomorrow night, saying those who did would be taking part in “illegal” rallies.

The two planned gatherings at the Tapak Pesta Sungai Nibong and Tapak Expo Seberang Jaya are set to start at 8pm tomorrow.

But the deputy police commissioner has linked the state functions to the July 9 Bersih march for electoral reform in Kuala Lumpur.

“We have obtained a court order from the magistrate’s court, a notice to prohibit tomorrow’s gatherings, which we have also passed on to the organisers and affixed at both locations,” Ayub was reported as saying by national news agency Bernama in a press conference here today.

He added the police would use their power in accordance with the law to stop the assembly, and reminded the public they will face police action if they choose to attend.

Sim told The Malaysian Insider the PR state government has been holding similar public talks without incident for the past three years as part of its outreach programmes to explain state policy.

“It’s a bit outrageous because it’s being held on state premises … we don’t need a police permit for such programmes. They are not respecting the separation of powers,” he said, and hit out at the police for bowing to political pressure from the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government.

Sim added that the organisers were caught in a quandary and that the final decision rested with CM Lim.